A Remnant Wouldn't Know
by Fatal Twist
Summary: Kadaj survives death, but now he is faced with a new challenge. Shinra is renewed and seeks to destroy all that they had once created... Pairings decided on, but you'll have to read and see.
1. Prologue

**So, this is my first fic for FF7, and I've never played the game, but I watched Advent Children and absolutely fell in love with Kadaj. **

**So, b/c I've never played the game, I may get some things wrong - please tell me if I do and save me the embarrassment. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything... even though i would love to have Kadaj as my slave - oops, did I say that out loud?**

**Summary:**** From Jenova cells was created remnants - Yazoo, Loz and Kadaj - but a remnant would never be powerful enough to live and lead Jenova to become whole again without the necessary motivation or desire. But, emotion was only a trait given to mortals. A vessel would never be able to comprehend emotion and act on it. Therefore, an experiment was attempted to create the most powerful remnant - but, what would happen if that remnant decided to act purely on the emotion given to him, and ignore the will of Jenova completely? Would another Sephiroth be born? Like emotion, the outcome is counted on to be completely unexpected. **

* * *

Chapter 1: Prologue

The child wept continually, clinging terrified to Loz, who looked as awkward as being caught crying himself. The noise was irritating Kadaj, and Yazoo sensed the danger, as he watched his brother wade out of the black stream toward them. The children behind him stared blankly, their eyes following him lifelessly, emotionlessly, as Kadaj stopped before Loz. His Mako eyes rested on the child, and she immediately fell silent, replying with a terrified stare of her own.

"Why are you crying? You should rejoice, for mother will receive her blessing soon. Can't you see, my brother's and sister's are united at last!" Kadaj exclaimed, his voice trembling with mad excitement.

A muffled sigh and a sniffle echoed through the luminescent forest. "Don't cry, Loz," Yazoo said.

Something caught Kadaj's attention across the river. A sound of a roaring engine came towards them from some miles away. The brilliant trees swayed silently in an unpredictable breeze. The brothers drew their attention in the direction of the sound.

"Ni-san…" Kadaj mumbled, "This is going to be fun!"

Yazoo nodded to Loz and together they ran ahead toward the sound of the motorbike. The children continued to stare blankly at Kadaj, who gave a simple wave of his hand, ordering them to follow Yazoo and Loz.

However, there was one misfit among them. Behind Kadaj, Marlene suddenly ran up, kicking him in the back of the leg like she had watched Tifa do to Loz earlier. The result was not what she had been expecting, and Kadaj merely stalled in his step and drew a surprised green gaze to her. His Mako eyes focus in on her threateningly.

Marlene braced herself for something to happen, but Kadaj only scowled and snarled, "That was mean! You better run and fast!"

Marlene did not have to be warned twice. She turned on her heel and disappeared into the brush behind a group of white trees. Kadaj only smirked and gave a sinister chuckle before turning his attention back to Yazoo and Loz, who were currently confronting the intruder. The mob of mako-eyed children shuffled behind them, watching and waiting for some other order from Kadaj.

"Hey, Kadaj," Yazoo called back to him, with a grin. Malice flashed in his cold green eyes. "It's big brother – did you invite him?"

Kadaj only gave a soft 'hmph' in reply before stepping forward. With a wave of his hand he summoned the children before them, readied his souba and waited for their 'ni-san' to arrive.

* * *

"Kadaj…?"

Kadaj blinked as he snapped out of his thoughts. Yazoo was eyeing him curiously, too afraid to make any comment or question Kadaj further than his name. Loz looked like he was going to cry.

"Stop crying!" Kadaj suddenly snapped at him. Seeing that Kadaj had seemed to come back to reality, Yazoo drew his gaze away from his brother to scan the deserted wasteland before them.

"I'm _not_ crying!" Loz grunted, defensively, after wiping his nose on his sleeve.

Yazoo's gaze fell on Kadaj again, who was staring blankly ahead of them where Midgar stood in the distance. They had come to a dead end on the side of a cliff top. Their bike's motors hummed beneath them as they waited for a sign, anything.

"Is… everything alright, brother?" Yazoo asked, slowly.

Kadaj frowned.

"Fine," he replied, simply. Honestly, though, Kadaj hated lying – but he did not know if anything was wrong. How should he know? He had caught himself often times, thinking about the past – just reliving it in his memory. Why? How should he know?

Yazoo seemed to be satisfied with that answer, and he turned back to the midnight view of the city.

"Hmph," Loz said, "Should I get the children?"

"Assemble at the monument in the heart of the city," Kadaj replied, instantly, "and I'll pay a visit to the president."

The two brothers nodded to each other and obediently road off the side of the cliff and down into the valley into Midgar. Kadaj sat there a waited for a moment, watching them go. Yazoo's question still echoed in the back of his mind. It bothered him, and he did not know why.

"Oh, mother, why do you torment me so?" Kadaj said in frustration to the night, "I'm only trying to do as you tell me and you're not helping me at all, are you? Why do you plague me with these… these… thoughts?"

Thoughts? Is that what they were? Memories? Doubts, perhaps? Never! It was his mother's will, how could he doubt something so pure, so valuable?

There it was again.

"Stop!" Kadaj yelled, covering his ears in attempt to rid himself of his thoughts and questions. "Mother, what is… happening to me?"

He closed his eyes and leaned over the handle bars of the motorbike. The thoughts suddenly stopped and his mind was silent once again. His mission became clear – find Rufus and ask him about mother. Find mother!

Without a second thought, Kadaj made use of this silence, this calamity of mind. He started the engine and road off toward Midgar after his brothers.

* * *

Cloud looked down at Kadaj's face as he held the weakened boy in his arms. The puppet; to be used and disposed of – this silver-haired vessel. Kadaj was weakened beyond the help of white magic, his sharp green eyes stared slightly passed Clouds face into the sky. There was a moment when Cloud suddenly felt guilty again for causing him this pain, but he remembered who Kadaj was and what he had done to Midgar and his friends and that pity and guilt vanished.

Kadaj reached toward the sky, he had mumbled something Cloud had not heard. Rain fell into his face, but he did not seemed to mind it or know it was there. He blinked it out of his eyes a few times, and before Cloud could do anything, the boy's eyes closed and his hand fell. He lay limply in Cloud's arms, a peaceful expression over his features.

Not really knowing what to do, Cloud placed him gently onto the ground and stood up. As the reality of what had just happened hit him, a loud shot rang through the air. His chest felt as though it had ripped open as the bullet flew through his body.

Cloud crippled to his knees and weakly glanced behind him in horror to find Reno and Rude's 'flashy' device had failed to finish off the two other siblings, and now they stood swaying, with revenge spread across their faces.

"Brother!" Yazoo yelled, as his eyes fell on Kadaj's lifeless body laying at Cloud's feet.

Cloud gasped for air as he made his last stand, took up his sword and charged at the two silver-haired teens.

An explosion engulfed them all.

* * *

Author Notes: I hope you like it. It's in developing mode at the moment. The amount of reviews ultimately decide if I continue or not. Not enough reviews, then I know ppl aren't interested.


	2. Something Less Than Human

Chapter 2: Something Less Than Human

_Kadaj…_

He could feel the wind shift through his hair, but he did not have the strength to life his head from the ground. Someone was calling him, but he did not recognize the voice. He did not open his eyes either, but rather allowed himself the moment to remember what had happened last time he had been conscious.

…_I'm sorry…_

He was confused. Who was talking? What were they talking about?

… _but… you're just not ready yet._

It was raining. It was cold too. He could smell the damp cement after a long drought, and feel the cool wind chilling his body. A storm? Where was he?

"…Mother?" Kadaj mumbled, then realized he tasted the copper flavor of stall blood in his mouth.

Cloud.

Kadaj could have killed him if he had not have slipped in the end. Yet, even at the thought of Cloud and memories of his reunion graced his mind, the old hatred and mad excitement that had been there before were gone. He felt empty.

"…Ugh…" Kadaj knew he was laying on the cold cement on his stomach with his cheek pressed against the ground, but he could do nothing about it. Instead, he opened his eyes.

A flash of lightening coursed through the sky in front of him. He was lying on the top of the old building were he and Cloud had finished their battle. The rain pelted down upon him in icy sheets, chilling him to the bone. He blinked the water from his eyes once or twice before observing more of his surroundings.

Something seemed to be missing.

"Yazoo… Loz…" Kadaj coughed. His breathing was shallow, his wounds unhealed and sore. Yet, with the pain, he noticed something different, something new: was it sadness?

How was he supposed to know? He had never felt that before. And why was he feeling it now? He was not sure of the answer, but something in the back of his mind answered his own question.

"I thought…" Kadaj breathed, weakly, "we were going to go… together?"

There was another flash of light, and he narrowed his eyes in annoyance. The rain's pitter-patter was suddenly drowned out by a loud engine at the swish of spiraling chopper blades.

Kadaj could do nothing but lay there and hope the intruder would leave him to die. Yet, as he heard the deafening thud of the landing gear hit the ground and felt the tremble of the old building beneath him, his hope of being left alone vanished.

"…Oh, boy," Reno calmly dropped the chopper onto the rooftop of the building, as his eyes landed on the body of the silver-haired boy. He picked up the radio and called in, "Better let Rufus know this piece of work is still lying around."

"_What are you talking about?"_ a voice replied through the speaker.

Reno frowned as he gazed out at the teen laying lifeless on the top of the building. He picked up the radio and replied, "That remnant. He's… still here."

"_Copy. Are you in danger?" _

"Pfft," Reno smirked, glancing back at the unarmed teen lying on the ground. "I'm going to go and check it out."

"_Wait! It could be dangerous!" _

The engine of the helicopter tuned down and the blades continued to spiral slowly, causing the rain to blow outwards. Reno ignored the voice on the radio and stepped out into the rain. Holding his hands above his head in attempt to shield his face from the water, Reno made his way over to the motionless body of the silver-haired boy.

He leaned over him curiously and came close enough to see his face. He scowled, remembering the time when he had been beaten to a pulp by the little brat only a few days ago. He felt somewhat satisfied to see him like this; vulnerable and harmless.

But still dangerous, a voice in the back of his mind warned.

"Hey…" Reno said, arrogantly, nudging Kadaj with his foot a bit, "Are you alive, you bastard?"

Kadaj opened his eyes slightly. Reno caught a glimpse of sharp green in the glare of the lighting flash and took a feeble step back. He took out his weapon and grasped it tightly.

Kadaj blinked the water out of his eyes again, but was too weak to move otherwise.

"…Mother…" he mumbled, out of breath.

"Not quite," Reno replied, raising an eyebrow and smirking with satisfaction, "Hmph, I guess you _are_ alive. That's too bad."

"_Reno!" _the voice on the radio screamed.

"Alive…" Kadaj breathed, "…but I'm not."

Reno rolled his eyes, and turned to reply to the worried voice on the radio. He shook his head, and mumbled, "Whatever…" before speaking into the radio, "Hey, you guys better get down here… He's still alive."

"_Still alive? But Cloud kicked his ass! Reno, bring him to Cloud… he'll finish him." _

Reno glanced back at Kadaj, who was staring at him intensely through one narrowed eye, and shivered. "I'm not touching him!" He said, as though Kadaj was some form of insect.

"_Just do it!"_

With a heavy sigh, Reno threw down the radio and stalked back over to Kadaj. This time, he kneeled down beside him, and said, "Hmph… I can't believe _I'm_ the one doing this!"

Reno grasped Kadaj's shoulder sternly, and turned him over on his back so that he could pick him up. He was surprised to find that Kadaj had let him do this, and the only reaction was a sharp in take of breath as pain shot through his body from his wounds. His Mako eyes were closed again to the rain, but a bitter expression was spreading across his face.

Reno knew that if Kadaj had the strength he would have thrown him off the building by now.

"… Hmph," Reno frowned as he lifted the teen over his shoulder and walked him over to the helicopter, "I guess you're an early Christmas present for the orphans… Cloud won't be happy, but it wasn't my idea. Better you than me."

Kadaj's shallow breathing was the only thing that replied to this statement, and Reno was glad for this. He sighed and sat him up in the co-pilot seat, strapping his arms in behind the seatbelt so that even if he did wake up, he would not be able to move.

"… Brother…" Kadaj mumbled, weakly.

Reno grinned, "Wrong again. If you were my brother… you'd be a lot tougher."

Reno closed the door on Kadaj and got in on his side, started the engine and lifted the helicopter off the top of the building. He watched Kadaj's battered and abandoned souba fade into the darkness as he turned and flew over the old part of Midgar toward Seventh Heaven.

* * *

It was midnight. The orphans were asleep and safe in their rooms. The only noise was the thunder and lighting outside, and the rain pounding against the window panes.

Cloud was awake. He could not sleep. Something in the back of his mind kept him awake, a feeling that something he should have done was left unfinished. He sat on the side of the bed, gazing blankly out the window, pondering on what this feeling could mean.

Suddenly, there was a knock at his door and Tifa stormed in with a look of horror on her face.

"Cloud, Reno's here!"

Cloud stood up and studied her expression, "What's wrong?"

"Come and see what the cat dragged in," Reno's voice suddenly said, as he appeared in the hallway behind Tifa.

"You left him there alone?" Tifa snapped, "What if he escapes?"

"He can't escape… I've got the child lock protection on," Reno shrugged.

Tifa scowled at him disapprovingly, but Cloud ignored her. "What you talking about? Who's 'he'?"

"Cloud, Reno found Kadaj… he's still alive," Tifa replied, with wide eyes.

"Kadaj?" Cloud repeated in surprise. As he said it, his heart dropped. He turned to where he had leaned his sword against the wall next to the window and pushed past Reno in the hallway. As he made his way down the stairs, he said, "Tifa, make sure the kids don't come out of their rooms until I say it's safe."

Tifa nodded and rounded on Reno, "Why did you bring him here? He's too dangerous! What if he hurts one of the kids?"

"Hey, lighten up! You saw the guy, he's half dead already," Reno said, defensively, "and I was only following orders. You know how tempting it was for me to just leave him there on the roof?"

Tifa frowned in response.

"Besides, where else could I bring him?" Reno sighed.

"… Cloud will deal with him," Tifa said, softly before turning and leaving Reno standing in the hallway.

It was a sad sight. Reno had left the door on Kadaj's side unlocked, and by the time Cloud had made his way down the stairs Kadaj had managed to get it open and toppled out head first onto the wet ground. He still had not regained the majority of his strength, but neither of them, including Kadaj, wanted him to be there.

Cloud stopped short a few feet to watch Kadaj attempt to lift his weakened body off the ground and out of a rather large puddle.

"…Child protection locks, huh?" Cloud said, waiting for Kadaj to notice him there.

The silver-haired teen's eyes snapped up at Cloud in surprise. A flash of hatred passed through the mako orbs, before he let out a defeated sigh and dropped back to the ground again. This time, Kadaj groaned and rolled over so that he could keep Cloud in sight.

"Brother…" Kadaj said, weakly. His voice was strained with pain and embarrassment, "I've… failed her."

"Sephiroth was using you… you're suppose to be dead," Cloud said, loudly, not bothering to help the struggling youth. "So, …" Cloud finally asked the question that had been ringing through his mind since Tifa had broken the news to him, "why aren't you?"

Kadaj dropped back to the ground again, this time he grunted and gritted his teeth as pain shot through his body. Then, he did something that Cloud had never seen Kadaj do. He let himself lay there, with his arms where they had fallen, and his gaze growing tired: he had given up.

"I… failed?" was all Kadaj managed to say. He brought his green gaze up to Cloud, but his eyes were no longer glazed with the same hatred. Cloud felt a pang of pity for the youth, for the expression which was spread across Kadaj's face was the same expression that Cloud had adorned long ago.

"No," Cloud replied. Perhaps it was the feeling that was haunting him which made him say it. He did not know exactly what he meant by it. All he knew was that it felt like the right thing to say. Kadaj had not failed – he was alive.

This answer seemed to sooth Kadaj. He let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes to the rain. He did not move for a time, and at first Cloud had thought that maybe he had – at last – died. Then, he winced in pain, and with his eyes still closed shut tightly, he said, holding back tears, "I don't… understand."

Cloud frowned. He stepped forward and picked Kadaj off the ground. He brought him inside and out of the rain.

"Neither do I," he mumbled.


	3. Forgiveness?

Chapter 3: Forgiveness?

"Cloud!" Tifa snapped, as she noticed Cloud laying Kadaj down in one of the empty rooms upstairs. She stood in the doorway and thrust her hand toward the exit in one sure gesture, saying, "He can't stay here!"

"We've housed worse," Cloud said turning away from the now unconscious Kadaj to meet Tifa eye to eye. She was furious, but most of all she looked extremely worried.

"Look," Cloud said, trying to convey his reason for keeping Kadaj here. He did not get very far, before Tifa cut him off.

"No! He's dangerous!"

Cloud glanced back at Kadaj, uncertainly. "He's…" he started, feebly.

"He's a remnant of that nightmare, Cloud! He's a vessel for that evil soul!" Tifa cried. She frowned and waited for Cloud to reply, but Cloud was still gazing thoughtfully at Kadaj.

After a moment, Cloud said, quietly, "He… reminds me."

"Do you really want to keep a reminder like that around?" Tifa replied, softly, "Cloud, please…"

"You remember when I was like that, Tifa – a puppet?" Cloud said, quietly. Cloud finally turned his gaze to her, there was a flash of determination in them. Tifa did not reply, she had wanted to forget that time. But now she understood what Cloud was trying to tell her:

"You can't save him, Cloud," she said.

"I…" Cloud turned back to glance at the silver-haired youth. Kadaj was not facing them, but Cloud knew he was out cold.

"He… isn't human, Cloud. You are. He probably doesn't even know the meaning of redemption, let alone have the ability to redeem. You're just going to endanger everyone here," Tifa said, bitterly. She tried hard not to be so harsh with Cloud, but some things just cannot be avoided.

"Tifa," Cloud said. Now, he glanced out the window at the rain and lightning, and added, "There was a reason Arieth kept him here, and… I think I know what it is."

"Maybe she wanted him to suffer?" Tifa snapped, glaring at the back of Kadaj's head bitterly.

Cloud ignored her statement and continued, "Him and I are… the same."

Tifa let out an irritated sigh and shook her head impatiently. "Whatever, Cloud…" she said, disappointedly, and with that, she turned and left, slamming the door behind her.

Cloud could hear her stomp all the way down the stairs and into her room. He turned back to Kadaj, and said, quietly, "I bet you heard all of that, didn't you?"

No reply.

"Then, consider this your warning," Cloud mumbled, as a great flash of lightning coursed through the sky, quickly followed by a roar of thunder, "You're lucky Reno didn't leave you in the storm."

Kadaj heard the door slam shut after that, and Cloud's heavy footfalls following Tifa's down the stairs. He had been doing his best to stay quiet and have them think he was unconscious, but know that he knew they could not hear him he let out a gasp of pain and rolled onto his back.

His clothes were still soaked through, the black leather was heavy and stiff, but he was still too sore and weak to strip it off his body. Instead, he just lied there, letting his mind slip away from him. He closed his eyes again and felt his body relax. He hoped it would be the first night after many that he was not disturbed by nightmares of that silver-haired demon.

A couple hours later, Kadaj was awakened by a blinding light that had come through the blinds and straight into his mako eyes. He brought his hand up slowly to shield his face from it, but someone moved within the room and opened the blinds completely. The brightness flooded into the room, and Kadaj squeezed his eyes shut.

"Good… you're awake," Tifa's voice said, sharply.

Kadaj slowly opened his eyes to find that he had been changed into dry clothes and that his wounds had been attended to. Tifa stood next to the window with her hands on her hips, and Kadaj could have sworn she had opened the blinds on purpose.

"Close it…" Kadaj mumbled, weakly, gesturing slowly at the blinds.

"Not a chance," Tifa said, taking pleasure in his pain, "You wanna live here, then you follow _my_ rules! Everyone gets up for breakfast at eight. If you miss it, you starve."

Kadaj frowned, and turned away from the blinding sunlight. He was not hungry. He didn't even know what it felt like to be hungry. Starve? That didn't sound too bad. He wanted to lie there anyways, resting his tired body.

Tifa, however, had other ideas. "And don't think I'm going to forgive you so easily for what you did last week!" she said, furiously.

"…Last week?" Kadaj suddenly said, ignoring anything else Tifa had said. He must have lost a few days in between his conscious moments somewhere. He did not voice his concerns at Tifa. Instead, glanced over to the window and mumbled, "I've been wasting time here."

"Tell me about it," Tifa scowled, thinking about all the hours she had spent tending to his wounds and keeping him comfortable as he slept, only to keep Cloud happy and the children safe. She frowned bitterly and shot a look of daggers at Kadaj.

However, her breath hitched in her throat as she realized Kadaj had swung his legs over the side of the bed and was bracing himself to stand. His silver hair covered his face, so she could not see the pained expression he had.

It startled her. She hadn't brought a weapon with her from downstairs. In fact, she didn't even think he had the strength to move! Now, as Kadaj readied himself to stand, Tifa ran to the door and yelled, "Cloud!"

She heard a gasp behind her and turned to find Kadaj sprawled on the floor next to the bed. She sighed with relief as she realized Kadaj really didn't have the strength to move and she and children were still safe.

Cloud's heavy steps rushed up the stairs to her. His eyes swept the room, and upon finding Kadaj on the floor, the grip on his buster sword hilt slackened somewhat. He said the first thing that happened to escape his mouth:

"What do you think you're doing?"

Kadaj glared up at Cloud with a flash of menace in his green gaze. "A little _help_?" he snarled, as he struggled to lift himself again.

Neither Tifa or Cloud moved to help him.

"You can stay there for all I care," Tifa snapped.

Kadaj gave a sarcastic sniffle, "Ow… don't be so cruel with those words of venom."

With difficulty, Kadaj managed to sit upright and lean his back against the night table. He looked different when he wasn't clad in his usual black leather suit. Tifa had changed him into a white cotton shirt and light blue-striped flannel pants which she had found while rummaging through Cloud's old things. Somehow, Kadaj looked less intimidating, and more like the headstrong teen he actually was.

"Kadaj, we're trying to help you," Cloud said, sternly, "If you don't want our help, then you are free to go, but don't come back – ,"

"Where are my brothers?" Kadaj suddenly said, accusingly, "What have you done with them?"

"…" Cloud glanced out the window, wondering on how he should tell Kadaj without sounding as though he had been the cause for his brothers' deaths.

"You're not really in a position to threat," Tifa snapped, irritably.

"I demand an answer!" Kadaj refuted, carelessly. His sharp green eyes narrowed angrily on Tifa as if targeting her for some definite fate.

"They're dead!" Tifa said, loudly.

Kadaj blinked, for a moment his glare became a confused gaze.

"… I thought you knew," Cloud added, quietly. Kadaj looked thoughtful for a moment, before he turned his sharp eyes up at Cloud.

"…_You_!" he hissed, accusingly.

Cloud did not reply. His gaze turned down to the floor. He knew that he would eventually be blamed for someone's death, and it wouldn't all be in his head.

Tifa noticed this, but before she could say anything, Cloud was already speaking, "Kadaj…" he said, "I know what you're feeling right now. I went through it myself once."

Kadaj was shaking with anger, and Tifa knew that if he had had the strength she and Cloud would have had a very powerful remnant on their hands again. Not that they didn't already.

"Yazoo, Loz and … Mother! You took it all from me!"

"No!" It seemed that Kadaj had hit a nerve. Both he and Tifa blinked at Cloud's sudden reaction. Cloud continued, in frustration, "No, Kadaj, you never lost anything in the first place! You were a puppet for Sephiroth's soul, nothing that matters then should matter now, why can't you see that?"

"But, I…"

"Arieth gave you a second chance to change. You've got to forget, in order to discover. If any, now is the best time to be selfish!" Cloud said, frowning deeply, "I'm only telling you this because I was there once and I wasted a lot of time trying to bring back something I couldn't… you're young, it's best for you to realize this now."

Silence followed his words. Tifa grinned proudly at Cloud, while Kadaj gazed down at the floor, hiding his face with his hair. Now, Tifa finally understood why Cloud wanted Kadaj to stay with them so badly. In a way, she pitied Cloud; did he really think he could help redeem a vessel, a remnant of Sephiroth?

Though Cloud's words seemed to have had some impact on Tifa, Kadaj only scowled, "Mother would never do that to me."

"You're mother was Jenova's head!" Tifa scoffed.

"Take it back!" Kadaj cried.

Cloud finally let out a sigh in frustration, and snarled, "You're not stupid! At least _think_ about what I've just said!"

And with that, Cloud turned on his heel and left the room. Tifa watched him go, and turned back to Kadaj, who was simply staring straight in front of him. His eyes were thoughtful, and his expression was one of which she had never seen on him before. She couldn't describe it, but it took her completely by surprise. In the result, she seemed to have forgotten her frustration with him, and stood there staring back.

After a moment, Kadaj spoke, "She… wouldn't? … Right?"

Tifa did not reply. How could she respond to a question like that?

Kadaj seemed to have come to his own conclusion anyways, and diverted both their attention to another topic, as he said, "What is there to… discover?"

Tifa found that there was a small smile creeping across her face.

"You figure it out," she said, "That's the whole point, right?"

Without another word, Kadaj shot her another one of his classic glares. She knew she would come to recognize that look as Kadaj's way of saying 'I don't much appreciate your sarcasm'.

"Take a joke," she replied, smoothly, before turning and leaving him to fend for himself on the floor.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm glad ppl are liking this. I've got the plot pretty much done, but let me know if there's any desires you'd like to voice. I'm not promising, but if it fit's in with the plot, I might make an exception.

Again, I'm new to FF7, and I'm only just getting familiar with the characters. So, I don't know what ppl like much. I'd like to hear your opinions. Thx

* * *


	4. The GoldWynd Project

Chapter 4: The Gold-Wynd Project

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't recognize your voice. How have you been?" Tifa said, wedging the cordless between her shoulder and ear as she washed up the mess breakfast had left.

Marlene wandered the kitchen, giving a hand whenever she needed it. Denzel sat at the table, struggling to finish his last bit of pancakes, and Cloud had just walked through the door, back from a short delivery.

He made sure that he was never too far away from Seventh Heaven lately. Since he had realized that Kadaj had enough strength to sit up, he was hesitant on leaving altogether. But his customers were demanding, and some would not wait until Cloud's 'family emergency' was settled.

Luckily, Barret had happened to stop in for the week to visit with Marlene, and Cloud was able to run a few parcels up and around Edge and Midgar without feeling too anxious.

Now, he had just returned. It seemed that Tifa was in a better mood. Marlene was following in her shadow, helping her out whenever she could.

"Eat your breakfast, Denzel," Cloud mumbled, automatically, as he passed the table.

Denzel made a grunting sound, but did not refute, and Cloud dropped his gear on the counter, along with a couple gil – his tip. He split it with Marlene and told Denzel his was on the counter when he was finished his breakfast.

"What do you mean?" Tifa said to the person on the phone. Cloud helped Marlene walk a large mixing bowl to the sink.

"Hmm… yes." Tifa sighed, and handed the phone to Cloud, "It's Reno. I think he wants to talk business."

Cloud reluctantly took the phone, and brought it to his ear slowly. His heart dropped; whenever Reno talked business, he knew something was wrong and somehow he always got dragged into it.

"Yes?" he answered.

"_Hey, Cloud. I called your cell, but you didn't pick up – big surprise! Anyhow, so I'm glad I was able to get you now. You see, Rude and I were talking with Rufus this morning and it seems we've, uh, gotta come back and pick up that package we dropped off with you last week. So, would you mind if we dropped by today?" _ Reno said, quickly. In the background chopper blades swooshed through the air, and Cloud figured that even if he refused, Reno would show up anyways.

"Why? What did Rufus say?" Cloud asked, curiously.

"_We'll explain everything when we get there," _Reno replied.

" 'We'll'?" Cloud said. There was some static that brushed their conversation lightly and disappeared.

"_Rufus and Rude are with me. We won't be long," _Reno responded through the static.

Cloud sighed. He really did not feel like being dragged into something at the moment. "Okay," he said, and hung up. Tifa took the phone away from him and placed it on the charger.

"So, what did he say?" she asked, conversationally. Denzel put his empty plate on the counter and took the gil Cloud had left there for him in return. Marlene gazed up at Cloud with big brown eyes before turning away and initiating a game of tag with Denzel.

"Reno, Rude and Rufus are going to drop by to pick up Kadaj," Cloud said, bluntly.

Tifa blinked in surprise. "Why?"

Cloud shook his head and replied, "He didn't say."

"Well, that's the first good news I've heard since you defeated him," Tifa mumbled. Cloud nodded in silent agreement. Having Kadaj at Seventh Heaven was more work then he had originally thought, and he would be able to get on with his job. Tifa, too, would have one less thing to worry about. For, Cloud had wondered what he would do once Kadaj fully recovered. Would Kadaj continue his quest for Jenova?

"I heard they're plannin' to rebuild Shinra," Barret suddenly burst into the room and the conversation. He noticed Cloud's surprise, and added, "Sorry, I didn' mean to interrupt."

Marlene gave an excited squeak and ran up to give Barret a hug. He grinned down at her and lifted her onto his shoulder with one arm.

"What's this about Shinra?" Cloud asked, curiously.

"They're rebuilding it," Barret replied, "They've already got part of it done. Damn thing's gonna repeat itself – history, I mean."

"But what would they need Kadaj for?" Cloud asked, thoughtfully. Barret only shrugged.

"I dunno, but mako's supposed to go back to the life stream after its purpose has been fulfilled, right?" he said.

Cloud dropped his gaze to loose himself in his thoughts. Tifa smiled, "Well, at least that's it for now. We'll send Kadaj off with Reno and Rufus, and it'll be over."

"They're gonna…" Barret stopped short of his sentence, his eyes caught a flash of silver in the doorway behind Tifa and Cloud, and he fell silent.

Cloud and Tifa turned to see Kadaj standing on the bottom stair, leaning heavily against the handrail. His hair hung in front of his face, but they could all see that he was pained, and extremely frustrated. He narrowed his eyes on them and gasped for breath.

"What are you doing?" Tifa snapped, noticing with frustration that Kadaj had opened up a wound on his shoulder. A small blood stain was seeping through the white cotton shirt he wore.

He shot her a nasty glare. "You call yourself a caretaker?" he snarled, weakly.

"Earplugs, Marlene," Barret said, quickly to Marlene who covered her ears with her hands and stared wide-eyed at Kadaj in anticipation.

Tifa gritted her teeth. "What do you want, Kadaj?" Cloud said, before she could refute.

"You _guess_!" Kadaj snapped, his eyes shooting intimidating looks around the room, but his voice was somehow less angry, and Cloud could not describe what he was hearing from Kadaj. "I've been cooped up in that room for days! I _need_ a bathroom!"

Ah, that was it: sarcasm.

Cloud almost smiled. Marlene giggled, even though she was supposed to have not heard anything, and Tifa seemed thoroughly surprised that Kadaj was speaking so casually about something that was considered rather private.

Barret laughed out loud and held his stomach as he did. "You crack me up, kid. And you're supposed to be the evil gang leader? – hahaha!"

Kadaj bared his teeth, his mako eyes narrowed on Barret angrily.

"The bathroom is _upstairs_," Tifa grinned, knowing full well that Kadaj had come all the way down just to go all the way back up – with a full bladder, no doubt.

And, just as she had suspected, they heard Kadaj mumble, in frustration, "You've got to be kidding me?"

His green eyes followed the staircase back up, with a look of dread. Then, without another word, he slowly started to climb the stairs. Tifa, Cloud and Barret watched him leave. Barret was still getting over his chuckle.

"Oh, that was a good one," he said, and patted Cloud on the back, "And he was supposed to defeat the world?"

"Not him; Sephiroth," Cloud corrected him, quietly.

"Honey, I'm home!" Reno said, bursting through the door with a wide smile on his face.

Tifa dropped Denzel's empty plate, before she could get it into the dishwasher, in surprise. It shattered on the floor and pieces scattered in every direction. She glanced up to see who had just stormed in, to find that Reno, closely followed by Rufus and Rude.

"Denzel, be careful," Tifa whispered, pointing at the mess of glass, before grabbing a dustbin from under the counter and cleaning it up.

Rufus looked much better. With his geostigma almost completely healed, he was walking fine and the patch over his eye was gone. He looked majestic in his white suit, and carried a long, white walking stick, which Cloud suspected was a thin sword in disguise.

Rude came a stood behind Rufus, quietly with his sunglasses on, hiding his steady gaze. His face was still and stony. Reno was the only one who spoke, "Hey, how's it going?" he said to no one in particular.

Cloud ignored him and turned his gaze to Rufus. "Rufus," he said, "What's all this about?"

"I surprised you haven't guessed already," Rufus replied, smoothly.

"Kadaj's strength is returning. He's starting to walk around," Cloud said, "What do you plan to do with him?"

"He isn't posing a threat?" Rufus asked, curiously.

Cloud exchanged a glance with Tifa, and she said, reluctantly, "Well…"

"Hmm…" Rufus gazed thoughtfully around the room, "Perhaps, I could speak with him?"

"I'd like to know what this is all about first," Cloud said, quickly, before Tifa could reply.

Rufus nodded in agreement. "I will explain everything. Is there anyplace we could speak privately?" he said.

"Kadaj is on the top floor. He won't hear a thing," Tifa assured him.

"It won't matter if he does or not," Rufus said, softly. At Cloud and Tifa's questioning looks he continued, "As you may already know, Shinra is being renewed. I plan to start fresh, with the past in mind, so that the same mistakes are not made. But it was brought to my attention the night Reno found Kadaj, that mako still exists in the universe in unnatural forms."

"Unnatural forms?" Cloud asked, frowning in thought.

"Kadaj is an example of this, and Sephiroth a purer example," Rufus said, "They were created using mako and Jenova cells – this you already know. But this unnatural form of mako was created to serve its purpose in the universe and then be recycled back into the life stream."

"But Kadaj survived…" Cloud said.

Rufus nodded, "And he shouldn't have. I was rather surprised when Reno called with the news."

"… And you want to…"

"We must break down the mako inside his body," Rufus said, "The department that has been completely renewed and restored in Shinra is the first step to a new, beautiful world. Within this department I have constructed a capsule-like machine which will over time, and after many trails, will eventually breakdown mako and return it to the lifestream."

"What happens then?" Cloud asked, curiously.

"If you are asking about Kadaj –he will not survive it," Rufus said, brutally, "He was created by mako and Jenova cells alone. If you remove one – well, it would be like removing the blood from a human body."

Cloud frowned. Somehow he felt uneasy about this. Tifa looked absolutely shocked at this plan, and seemed to forget how much she hated the remnant. Barret was the only one to speak.

"Not that I'm agreeing with the kid's actions a few weeks ago, but that sounds more like a torture cell than a peace making machine," he said, skeptically.

"I call it the Gold-Wynd Project," Rufus said, brushing Barret's comment aside, "and I accept your uneasiness. I know this is not exactly a painless process, but you must remember that Kadaj and his brothers caused us a great deal of grief when they were on the search for Jenova's head. Pity is the last thing I would have expected you to have for him."

"Maybe it's not pity," Barret refuted, "and even if Kadaj isn't human he's still a living being."

"Barret's right Rufus, it's just not… moral," Tifa said, wincing when she realized she was actually defending their enemy.

Rufus stood there quietly for a moment, studying them all. Like Kadaj, he too was fantastic at the art of persuasion, and he knew what would easily sway the opposition.

"Kadaj is still dangerous," he said, "Even though right now he may seem harmless, he will recover and get back at the planet like he said he would do. Keeping him here endangers yourself and the children. I can put an end to this nightmare for good."

Tifa was at the point when she did not care either way. She knew keeping Kadaj there was dangerous, she had told Cloud countless times. Even though she knew this Gold-Wynd Project was immoral, she felt that if Kadaj was gone they could all finally drop their weapons and relax.

"Cloud…" she said, studying Cloud's thoughtful expression. She was curious about his opinion.

He hadn't said a thing since Rufus started telling them about the project, and she knew he doubted it. Perhaps, if his trust in Rufus was a little stronger, he would have agreed to let Kadaj go with them.

Finally, he drew his gaze to Rufus with a question. "Can remnants of Sephiroth be forgiven?" he asked, uncertain of whether he had worded that correctly or not.

"Forgiven?" Rufus repeated, surprised.

"Are you out of your mind?" Reno blurted, his eyes widening somewhat at the thought.

"You mean redemption? It's not possible," Rufus replied, with certainty.

"Why not?" Cloud asked, curiously.

Rufus shot him a questioning look. "You should know that by now, Cloud. Kadaj was created for one purpose only, and he will continue to fulfill that purpose until he is stopped," he explained.

Cloud looked thoughtful again, but this time, Reno had grown impatient. He motioned for Rude to follow him, and they approached the stairs.

"We'll bring him down," Reno said, "Maybe by that time you will have made up your mind."

Tifa glanced over at Cloud again, and gave him look which meant 'what are you thinking?'

When he did not seem to notice, Tifa suddenly said, "I'll show them to the room."

Without another word, she, Reno and Rude disappeared up the stairs, leaving Rufus, Barret and Cloud to wade in silence.

"Well, I don' know about you, Cloud, but I gotta bad feelin bout this," Barret said, "If anythin' we're just gonna piss Kadaj off even more."

Cloud didn't reply.

"You must remember, Cloud," Rufus said, quietly, "You're circumstance was different. You cannot save him."

Again, no reply.

* * *

Kadaj had made it up to the top floor again, fuming at the thought of what they had been talking about. His mind played their conversation over in his mind again and again, and each time he grew angrier. There was no doubt in his mind Rufus wanted him dead, wanted to stop him finding mother again.

He had slipped down the stairs to hear what they were talking about, but unfortunately that large man had stomped through the door and seen him. It had been a poor excuse, even quite embarrassing, but he did not care as long as he was able to slip into another secure hiding spot.

He had to admit, what Rufus had planned stunned him. He never thought the man would try and come after him. After all, Kadaj had not really hurt him – he jumped off the building on his own accord.

"Fool," Kadaj mumbled, irritably, as he reached the top floor after discovering what Rufus had planned for him. This Gold-Wynd Project – Kadaj did not like the sounds of that at all.

He heard their rushed footsteps coming up the stairs, and he dashed as quickly as he could into the bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he grabbed a chair and wedged it under the door knob. Then, his heart pounding in his chest, he went to the window, and with great effort, lifted the pane up.

He glanced back at the door and knew that they were standing right outside. Turning his gaze back to the window, he leaned half his body out and gazed down. It was a long ways down, and he hoped that he would be able to land and run. Given his current state, he doubted the latter, but he would try. He would not let mother down this time.

The door moved, and someone was trying to open it.

"Kadaj?" Tifa's muffled voice called from behind it.

Kadaj grinned and swung his legs over the window sill. He readied himself for the fall.

There was a loud crash, and when Kadaj glanced back he saw something red fly across the room. Tifa came storming in, followed by that man with the sunglasses. Kadaj froze. As soon as Tifa saw him hanging out the window, she gasped and rushed over to him.

"Kadaj! What are –," Her words were drowned out by the red-haired man yelling, "Oh, no you don't!"

Kadaj released his grip on the sill and pushed himself over the edge. His heart pounded with excitement, but before he could even start falling, a strong grip – well, two strong grips – grabbed his arms from behind and dragged him back through the window.

"Grrah!" Kadaj cried out in pain, as one of those hands pressed painfully on his shoulder wound.

He was thrown onto the floor and pinned down by the red-head, who screamed, "Gotcha!"

"Gerrofff me!" Kadaj snarled, as he struggled under that man's weight.

Rude smirked as he bound Kadaj's legs and arms in a strong wire, before Reno felt it was time to let the remnant breath.

Kadaj gasped for air as he felt the weight lift from his chest. He could feel himself fading weakly again, and took his one last chance to glare at Tifa, who just happened to be standing in his line of vision.

She had an uncertain expression on her face as though she wasn't quite sure what to do. Yet, before he could study it longer, his eyes closed on him and he felt himself drift away into darkness.

* * *

"Hey, easy on the tranquilizer, Rude," Reno said, brushing himself off.

Rude gave him a grin before hiding the tranquilizer gun back in his sleeve and standing up.

"You guys okay up here?" Barret said, appearing in the doorway, followed by Cloud and Rufus.

"He tried to escape," Reno said, loudly.

"Hmph," Rufus said with a smug look on his face, "Just as I thought."

Reno lifted the silver-haired teen over his shoulder and said, "I'll take him to the chopper."

Rude nodded and followed Reno out. Rufus turned to Cloud and said, "I hope you come by and visit Shinra, so that you can see what we have done to it. It is truly an improvement."

Cloud did not say anything. As he watched Rufus leave, Tifa gave an exasperated sigh and said, "I'm glad it's over."

Cloud glanced at her. "It… won't be over."

Tifa couldn't admit she knew he was right. History, like the lifestream repeated itself, and she knew this well. "At least it's over for now." She said, trying to sound somewhat positive.

A moment of silence passed them. Barret sighed and left to see to Marlene, and Tifa watched Cloud's thoughts flash behind his blue eyes.

After a time he spoke.

"Their going to kill him – and it's going to be slow," Cloud said, "Tifa… we're no better than Sephiroth if we let this happen."

"Cloud…" Tifa mumbled with a smile. She liked it when Cloud made his decision and acted on it. It was like old times, but she also knew that Rufus was right: Kadaj was extremely dangerous.

"Tifa," Cloud said, suddenly. His eyes swept up from the floor and he looked like something had just caught his attention. "Rufus said Kadaj was only created from mako and Jenova cells, right?"

Tifa nodded.

"Well, he wouldn't know, would he? His father created Kadaj and his brothers," Cloud said, "What if he's wrong?"

"Why are you so set on trying to help him, Cloud?" Tifa asked, curiously, "It's over."

"No, it's not," Cloud said with a stern tone that made Tifa begin to doubt her own question, "Tifa…"

Tifa finally nodded, and gave him a warm smile. "I know, Cloud. It doesn't feel right does it?"

Cloud gave a short nodded, and she continued, "Then, only we know best. Let's visit Shinra like Rufus offered and do some research on our own."

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry, I cut it kind of short, but I think you'll like the next chapter. pls review - perhaps you can give me some ideas.


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